He was born in Charlottetown as the son of John Blake, an Irish immigrant. With his brother Maurice, he became a partner in his father's butchering business, later expanding into exporting cattle and wholesale. Blake served on Charlottetown City Council from 1880 to 1882. Blake was speaker for the provincial assembly from 1890 to 1891. He was opposed to Confederation but ran unsuccessfully for a seat in the House of Commons in 1891. Blake was a judge and later director for the provincial agricultural exhibition. He helped reorganize the Charlottetown Board of Trade and served as president from 1893 to 1896. He set up business in Sydney, Nova Scotia in 1901 but returned to the island shortly before his death in Charlottetown in 1909.
